Peer to Peer

Peers are equals, except as reviewers, when they are more like capricious dictators. (Or when they are members of a peerage.)

We review our peers’ work because we know that we are all fallible. And because we know that the single best way we can overcome our own limitations is by relying on well-motivated, informed, others. We review to catch what our peers may have missed, to flag important methodological issues, to provide suggestions for clarifying and improving the presentation of results, among other such things. But given a disappointingly long history of capricious reviews, authors need assurance. So consider including in the next review a version of the following note:

Reviewers are fallible too. So this review doesn’t come with the implied contract to follow all ill-advised things or suffer. If you disagree with something, I would appreciate a small note. But rejecting a bad proposal is as important as accepting a good one.